*Step initiated to meet shortage in peripheral areas
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 30: Taking serious note of extreme shortage of doctors in the peripheral health centres, the State Government has decided not to sanction long-term trainings for the doctors and sponsor any such case in future, which otherwise has become a tool in the hands of the doctors to avoid postings particularly in the rural areas.
The Principals of both the Government Medical Colleges have been given explicit directions to forthwith relieve all such Doctors and Medical Officers, who have already completed their trainings with the direction to report to the respective Directorates of Health Services.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Department of Health and Medical Education is suffering from extreme shortage of doctors in the peripheral health centres, which is compromising the quality of health care services being delivered by the department to the public.
The intensity of prevailing situation vis-à-vis shortage of doctors can be gauged from the fact that department has more than 3500 health centres located in the periphery and a very large number of them are under staffed with less than required number of doctors posted there, sources said. “There are also a large number of health centres which are even without qualified doctors”, they added.
Grappling with the chaotic situation, the department recently started analyzing the factors, which have led to such a condition during the past some years and during the critical review of manpower availability, startling figures came to the fore.
As per the Recruitment Rules issued vide SRO No.325 dated July 12, 2013, only 10% of doctors can be allowed in the form of Deputation Reserve and Training Reserve. The Training Reserve (6%) comprises doctors, who can proceed for undergoing Registrarship, Senior Residency, Demonstratorship, Post-Graduation and Super Specialty Courses etc.
However, against the permissible quota of the Training Reserve, almost 4 times the number of doctors are already pursuing different kinds of training courses outside the Health Department, sources said quoting the facts that have come to the fore during the detailed exercise conducted by the department. This has resulted in a severe deficiency of Medical Officers/ Doctors being available for serving the population in the rural areas/ peripheral urban units, they added.
“It has also been seen that there is a persistent tendency on the part of the doctors serving in the Health Department to keep applying for the training courses and other positions outside the Department thereby staying away from serving in the department for a number of years”, sources said. This has rendered the Health Department incapable of filling up the resultant vacancy because the doctors continue to retain their lien in the Health Department.
They informed that Health Department has presently a severe deficiency of almost 1000 doctors as such it cannot afford sending or allowing doctors to proceed outside the department at this point of time.
Keeping all these aspects in mind and considering the urgent need for improving the man-power availability in the field units of the Health Department, the Government has decided not to allow doctors to proceed further outside the department for long term trainings comprising more than six months at present. Moreover, it has been decided not to sponsor any such cases in the near future till the availability of Doctors/ Medical Officers in the Health Department is suitable and sufficiently restored.
On the directions of the Minister for Health and Medical Education, Ch Lal Singh, the Administrative Secretary, Dr M K Bhandari has directed Principals of Medical Colleges of Jammu and Srinagar to relieve all such Doctors/Medical Officers, who have already completed their Registrarship, Demonstratorship, Senior Residency and Post Graduation etc and are still continuing to serve in the Medical Colleges with the direction to report to the concerned Directorates of Health Services.
Moreover, all the Heads of the Health Departments have been directed not to recommend any case for sending a Doctor/Medical Officer on deputation for the purpose of training as no such request will be entertained till further orders.
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